This cool Raspberry Pi project turns Telegram photos and voice messages into framed pictures

A Raspberry Pi project has emerged to help a grandmother stay connected with her family's Telegram group without requiring advanced technology skills. Posted on the Raspberry Pi subreddit by user Jonalus, the ingenious project transforms a wooden picture frame into a device capable of displaying photos, videos, and voice messages from the family group.

Equipped with a 10.1-inch HDMI display, speakers, a Raspberry Pi 4, and a 4G dongle, the frame is designed to make sharing and responding to messages as simple as possible for the tech-challenged user.

Family members can send photos, videos, and voice notes to a Telegram group, then reply using the frame, which pairs voice notes with their corresponding images. The user can navigate using four buttons: previous, record (to record a voice message, holding the button allows her to speak, and releasing it sends the reply to the family), listen again, and next. The device doesn't feature a touchscreen or menu system, simplifying the user experience further.

Since she received the device a couple of weeks ago, Jonalus' grandmother has been using it daily, finding it a helpful alternative to a touchscreen. Jonalus has shared the project's source code on GitHub, making it possible for others to build their own frames, whether as gifts for non-tech-savvy family members or as a striking piece for a home office or living room.